Years after first discovering this small Colorado-based clothing brand, I find I reach for their products more than anything else.

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Ben Thomson cracked a smile over the deep connection I have to my Belong Designs T-shirt with the “Mountain Shadow” imprint — after all, it has been discontinued for nearly five years, and his company has evolved its fabric and styling choices since then.

But is it “dated”?

The fact that I still love this shirt so much, made from what had been Belong’s signature VersaTek material, shows how truly versatile this brand’s products can be. For me, this shirt is the perfect trail-to-town choice — I’ve even seen a trail runner sporting it during a sunrise excursion to the iconic McAfee Knob overlook in Virginia.

“The versatility of our products is the best enabler for living a simpler life and enjoying more moments and the things that you love,” said Thomson, who founded the brand in Colorado back in 2013 with a couple of buddies. “As we’ve gotten better at making products, we’ve been able to home in more on the pieces and components of apparel that we find valuable.”

I stumbled across Belong Designs several years ago thanks to some strategically placed Instagram ads. I quickly embraced the small company and the vibe that channeled mountain life and the outdoors but that also wasn’t obsessively performance-oriented. The shirts and hoodies were soft, original, and built with an evergreen approach that never made them feel like they were a season (or five) old.

I ended up wanting to wear their clothes everywhere.

As the brand looks to continue to branch out beyond Colorado and make inroads even in other parts of the nation, it would be exciting to see more people finding something that suits them from Belong.

Thomson said that he and his co-founders (Shamus McNutt and Mark Grubbs) launched Belong Designs after graduating from engineering college yet feeling “trapped” by the idea of a normal work life. He said Belong Designs became an opportunity to match his passions with a profession and to do something innovative.

“Belong was like an identity savior, something creative that we could pour our ideals into,” he said.

The name they chose for their company was initially intended to buck some of the major brands in the industry, which can often feel “specific” or “exclusive.” For Thomson and his colleagues, they wanted to go in the opposite direction and be inclusive — geared toward those who wear these clothes to belong.

But there was also a second piece behind the name, something that catered to outdoor enthusiasts who embrace the experiences of the present time.

“It was like a point of being in the moment. For us, those were also like the moments when you belong, when you put nothing else on your mind except what you’re doing,” he said. “That was kind of like our concept, just finding those moments and being true to yourself and pursuing the things that you are passionate about. That was what was important to us.”

While this core and enthusiasm have long been part of the brand’s ethos, Thomson said that now, more than 10 years into the company, there’s a new push to reach more corners and grow into more retailers.

Belong Designs has intentionally avoided going into larger retailers because it doesn’t want to hurt the credibility and identity it has built up with specialty stores. Yet it is actively reaching more of those smaller retailers, expanding from 23 stores at the beginning of the year to 64 now. And the business is seeing a relatively even 50/50 split in online sales and wholesale revenue.

And we’re not just talking out West. The company has also been getting in the door in states like Georgia and appearing at regional shows in South Carolina and other states. But as a small brand, Thomson said they have to be especially mindful of inventory and being able to stock both the website and brick-and-mortar locations.

But that’s what translates back to Belong’s mindset toward versatile and durable qualities. Some brands are inevitably focused on the one-and-done seasonality of products (and pushing frequent discounts of “last season’s” merchandise), and while a clothing lineup does need to evolve and grow over time, Belong has been able to lock into an evergreen model. This gives some flexibility for a brand like Belong and helps to avoid pitfalls associated with overproduction.

“It helps our customers too, because it gives them more reliability and fits by design with things that are more staples,” Thomson said. “Like it’s something reliable. They can count on us having for them when they need these pieces first.”

The Mountain Shadow shirt that I love so much certainly has had a great run, but at some point, one can expect that most Belong Designs styles are going to be retired — either because new designs or new fabrics have shown to be better with customers.

What has improved from the VersaTek material that the Mountain Shadow shirt was made out of was a switch from traditional rayon to bamboo rayon. This change provided better breathability, wicking and antimicrobial properties.

“We’re headed in that direction of more technical components, but to first land in that category they have to look good and feel better,” he said. “And then performance is third on that list.

So even five or 10 years down the road since the company’s debut, versatility is still the cornerstone of Belong Designs. They’re not products that are going to be a first choice for a summer ultramarathon, a five-day backcountry hike or an intense rock climb, but they do fit into that concept of finding adventure everywhere and latching onto the opportunity when it presents itself.

And for those adventures that are — or at least, should — be a part of your life, Belong’s clothing will serve you well. Thomson specifically mentions the Rocky Mountain Board Shorts as an example.

“Those pants are fantastic mountain bike pants,” he said. “I like crack climbing granite and will hang upside down by my knee, and I’ve never torn a single pair.”

Attesting to that, I wore those shorts during a Via Ferrata adventure in West Virginia, and they were the perfect blend of functionality, strength and stretch to get me through it.

“We don’t just scrap and change things that frequently — it’s more like we try to consistently iterate on making it better,” Thomson said.

Among the product line, Belong is getting more into button-ups, where the impossibly soft Sherman Fleece is poised to be a breakout star. Both the men’s version and the women’s version of this shirt have snaps instead of buttons and are being received exceptionally well, Thomson said. These shirts don’t shrink and have anti-wrinkle properties, perfect for someone like me who doesn’t enjoy breaking out the ironing board.

But for everything Belong does, it comes down to authenticity and staying true to its principles. Much of its customer base is professionals who get antsy during a work day and can’t wait to unleash that inner child who wants to play outside, climb things and experience nature.

Thomson said Belong aims to “speak to those people in a way that creates a natural symmetry with the brand, where this adventurous part of my identity is what this brand brings to the clothes.”

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Ryan Tipps is Managing Editor for ActionHub. He lives along the Blue Ridge Mountains, is an avid hiker, backpacker and trail runner and has been a part of the wilderness search and rescue community since 2005.